Remarkable Mining.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XLIII, Issue 2286, 26 February 1912, Page 5

Remarkable Mining.

The Loug Tunnel Mine at Gutidagai, JSevr Soutk Wales, which was mentioned in the cablegrams from Sydney some days ago as having produced sensational yields of gold is probably the most remarkable mine in the world. The- richness of the gold-bearing stone is phenomenal, and the methods employed by the proprietors in working the mine is equally extraordinary. The Sydney Morning Herald states that the miue contains a reef which varies from Ift to 20ft in width, but the gold is found only in patches, or bonanzas, which though small iu bulk, are almost fabulously rich. The miue is worked entireiy by shareholders. One of them is manager, and his two sous, who also are shareholders, are the only men employed in actually mining the quartz. The remaining shareholders are residents iu Gundagai, and they undertake the work of crushing the ore. When the manager and his sons " strike a bonanza " they simply send word to the shareholders in the township. These men k go out to the mine, see the stone taken out and prepare the gold for sale. There is no crushing battery. When the ore is produced three shareholders sit down in front of three dolly-pots, which are .simply big mortars, and pound the ore with iron tamping bars until all the gold is broken out of it. The sensational yield they secured iu this fashion the other day was a parcel of 87Uoz of gold, valued at £3500. This represented, so far as the "dollying" was concerned, the product of three shareholders working two hours and a half a day for five days. A ton of quartz of the same quality as that from which they won this rich return would yield nearly 10, OOOoz of gold. Of course, they cannot find a ton of this very precious stone. The yield of H7ooz was obtained from 2cwt of stone, and there was no more of the same kind in sight. It is stated, however, that when bonanzas are scarce payable ore still is obtainable. Expenses, of course, are very small in the Long iTunnel Mine, and in eighteen months the ore mined by two men has produced a profit of £9OOO.